In a perfect world, everyone with the passion, skill, and willingness to work hard would have his or her dream job -- and a dream salary to match. Reality, of course, is often quite different. But there's a world of difference between making less than you want (or even less than you're worth) and making nothing at all. And yet, for people in the arts, this is often the pitch: work for nothing, hoping that exposure or another project for your portfolio will lead you to real, paying work down the road. The question, of course, is whether or not it's ever worth it to do so. After all, you can't pay the rent with exposure.

Most workers who travel as part of their jobs get to see the insides of identical conference centers from sea to shining sea. It's exciting if you like single-serving coffee or collect hotel soaps, and less exciting if your true love is travel -- the real kind, where you get to immerse yourself in a culture, however briefly, and see the world from a whole new perspective. If that's your idea of the perfect gig, these jobs might be a good fit for you.

Some jobs don’t offer warm fuzzies, but they do give you a fat paycheck. If having that comfortable income is a priority for you, and you can find meaning in other aspects of your life, then here are some careers you might want to consider.

When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up? If it was a clown, the World Clown Association would like you to know that it's not too late. The organization's membership numbers have dwindled from 3,500 in 2004 to 2,500, ten years later.

For every fine arts major who goes into his chosen field of study with his head held high, there's another who cringes as he registers for classes, following his heart but fearing a future of unemployment. Well, fear not, our artistic friends: your employment opportunities might be better than you'd expect.

Nathan Fleet loves movies and music, and he can play the Star Wars Cantina Band song on the guitar. So it's not surprising that he makes his living as a film and television composer. When he's not scoring movies, he's making them.

TV personalities always have to audition for a job but they don't usually have to do it live, in front of an audience of one million. But that's what hopefuls had to do last week if they wanted a chance at becoming the next AOL Live news anchor.

Last week on Does Someone Have to Go, we met the employees of DFX. The 30-year-old fitness equipment company has been having a hard time since founder Tom sold the company to his daughter Farren. Why? Mostly because Tom stayed on, micromanaging every employee with the help of surveillance cameras.

On Discovery Channel's The Big Brain Theory, two groups of the brightest engineers in the world put their skills to the test solving wild mechanical problems. This week, they were asked to take on a job a little more serious - create a mechanism to safely stop a car that doesn't yield at a military checkpoint. To win the round, the car has to remain drive-able and the passengers unscathed.

DFX of Anaheim, California made its money with the patented Dynaflex Gyro fitness system. Tom started the company out of his garage back in the seventies, built it up to a successful business, and then sold the business to his daughter Farren so he could retire.

There's something magical about a treehouse. Tucked inside the protective arms of Mother Nature, high above the Earth's floor, they provide sanctuary from parental interference and fodder for the imagination. It may look like a wooden box on stilts from the outside, but from the inside it's a pirate ship, a rocket or a medieval castle.

Every year, thousands of dancers from all around the nation line up to audition for the Fox series, So You Think You Can Dance. Their ultimate goal? To get "hired" as one of the season's top 20 dancers. Each performer only has a few minutes to impress the judges not only with their talent but with their personality. If they succeed, they move on to the second round (Vegas). From there, it's like a probationary period where everything they do is under scrutiny and in the end, only the very best get the job.

At the Winter X Games, snowboarders and snowmobilers perform gravity defying stunts on steep slopes of ice and snow. The only thing more amazing than pulling off a cab cork 1080 indy to a frontside 900 is turning a mountain full of snow into an awesome competition course in just a few days.

Last week on Does Someone Have to Go, we watched as the employees of Velocity Merchant Services roasted their co-workers in candid videos. That was followed by a mortifying round where salaries were revealed and from there, the group chose the three employees they thought deserved to be fired. Can the bottom three redeem themselves?

If you think your boss makes you jump through hoops every day, you need to watch tonight's episode of the ABC game show Wipeout.
It's a special Boss & Employee edition with a twist. In the first round, the teams will have to work together to make it through obstacles such as Cuckoo Crazy and the Wipeout Break Room. From there, they'll have to conquer the Miami Pound Machine and the last couples standing will head off to the nerd-infested IT City.

From cupcake bakers to duck call makers, small business owners and employees are today's top reality stars. The benefits of letting a camera crew follow your every move are obvious. Every episode is like a half hour commercial for your business and that means more people at your door.

When 80 percent of your sales come from 20 percent of your customers, having a VIP Club that caters to that 20 percent makes good business sense. In this week's episode of Resale Royalty, Sue decides to relaunch her old VIP club at the suggestion of one of her oldest customers. They decide to kick the club off with a fancy evening party that will show the customers that Women's Closet Exchange isn't just a retail store, it's a social community for people who love quality fashion.

Since the golden age of television, we've been watching firemen and police officers put their lives on the line in order to protect the innocent. But those are just actors and although a few have been known to get hurt in the performance of their duties, acting isn't usually a dangerous profession. On the other hand, the stars of these four reality shows are truly risking life and limb every time the cameras roll. Why do they do it? Because with big risks, come big rewards.